Things were going well in the first quarter, almost too well, and Gregg Popovich had run out of ways to correct his team. So he settled on free throws.

“The next guy to miss one,” he said during a timeout, “is buying me a car.”

DeJuan Blair likely tensed up. After an accident earlier in the day, missing a free throw would have meant he'd need to buy two.

But Tim Duncan knew how to react. He'd already missed three free throws, so he leaned in and said to Popovich, “What color you want?”

What color? What make? Duncan would provide what was necessary, just as he's done for 13 years. He would defend the rim, get a double-double and stay on the floor far longer than aging men with sore knees should.

What followed didn't make up for 2006.

But it sure helped Duncan forget the only first-round playoff loss he's ever played in.

By the time it was over, Eddie Najera had made sure everyone would have something to talk about at his high school reunion. There will also be a few things to talk about within the Mavericks organization.

Dirk Nowitzki rallied the Mavericks after picking up four early fouls, and Dallas battled to the end Thursday. Still, there's no escaping the reality — that the same franchise that had earlier become the only No. 1 seed to lose in the first round in the best-of-7 era had done the same as the only No. 2.

But, as it usually is, such doom was also possible for the other side. Had the Spurs lost, that would have made two years in a row. With basically the same roster in place for next season, was this the end of an era built around the Hall of Fame power forward?

Duncan and Tony Parker didn't have enough help last year against the Mavericks. This time they had enough, especially from Antonio McDyess. He was the partner Duncan had been missing.

Still, there was something that no one could help Duncan with. He can still play at a high level as he did in the first three games of the series. Then he averaged 26 points.

But when he plays heavy minutes, the knee hurts and the wear shows. Maybe the best thing that happened to him came in the blowout in Game 5. Then he played only 24 minutes.

So with some rest, Duncan responded, and that was clear from the beginning. He threw in a bank, spun for a drive and generally contested every Dallas possession. That's what the coaches still say about him: Duncan's genius is in his subtle positioning.

But he'd already played 31 minutes by the end of the third quarter, and then the Mavericks did a tag-team on him. Erick Dampier had played the third quarter, and replacing him to play the fourth was a younger, fresher Brendan Haywood.

Yet Duncan stayed on the floor, grinding for 43 minutes, and it was as if the Spurs had pushed their chips to the middle of the table. Had they lost, what kind of shape would Duncan have been in for Game 7? And had the Spurs somehow won that game, the next series would have begun with a long plane trip and one day's rest.

“How many millions is Timmy getting paid?” Popovich joked afterward when asked about that. “He should be playing 48 minutes.”

But Popovich knew. He sent Ian Mahinmi to replace Duncan with 16 seconds left, and Mahinmi walked to the scorer's table too slowly.

Popovich jumped up, as angry as he had been all evening.

“Get in there!” he yelled, and Mahinmi did.

Even though the next round doesn't begin until Monday, Duncan needs all the time he can get. Even 16 seconds worth.